Thursday, November 28, 2013

Fractured Light by Rachel McClellan

Llona Reese thought dealing with her parents' murder would be the hardest thing she'd have to overcome. But she was wrong. Being an Aura, a female gifted with the power of light, has given her incredible power, but when she realizes that her parents' killer is now after her, Llona must use her gift as a weapon--or suffer the consequences.

At first the novel Fractured Light reminded me somehow of the Iron series by Julie Kagawa that I never really managed to finish, but as the story progressed this feeling faded.This is one of the best debut author novels I´ve read this year, as it took me completely by surprise.

Llona Reese lives with her uncle Jake, due to her parents death. They had never stayed anywhere too long, but now Llona feels like settling down in a little town called Bountiful.She is a social outcast by choice, too afraid to befriend anyone, because Llona has got a secret. She is an aura, someone gifted with the power of light and hunted by dark creatures: the Vykens, who also killed her mother.As she tries to deal with her mother´s murder and her father´s deadly accident, she meets Christian, a lovely boy who is just a little bit too overprotective. And then there is Llonas new math teacher, whom she just can´t seem to resist.Soon Llona finds herself being hunted by the same Vyken who killed her mother and she realises: In her current state she may not be able to stay alive...

I always liked the stories in which the protagonists seem to have little power and slowly learn to unfold all their potential. It´s interesting to follow Llonas development, both in matters of power and social life.With each new page we get to know more about her and the world she lives in, grow with her, and discover together what it means to be an aura.

The relationship between Llona and Christian is full of tension. This relationship is even more suspenseful than the plot itself, without being too dominant. McClellan managed really well to keep plot and relationship balanced and that is by far the most important aspect in a novel for me. At times I found it quite frustrating that Christian seems to crush Llonas will to fight and to become stronger in order to defend herself. It felt not right.Another point I have to criticize: I found it rather obvious who the Vyken was. Right from the start actually. I had the hope that there was some kind of wicked trick to it, but in the end my suspicions were right and there was nothing more to it, which was very disappointing.The huge and wonderful cliffhanger at the end, however, makes me want more, so I´ll give Fractured light 4 out of 5 Hearts. Llona in a school full of auras?! Hell yeah, I´m on to that!I especially enjoyed that the book deals with typical teeny problems, without being too childish about it. Of course teenagers make mistakes, but that surely doesn´t mean that they have to make every stupid mistake along the "growing-up-road". This book is aimed for young adults and I really think it offers a few really helpful advices. It deals with the death of beloved persons and how to get on with life afterwards. It deals with unrequited love and true friendship.

The Yearning Mermaid says: "A good read for YA fantasy-fans, who like to watch strong characters evolve into something even stronger!"

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